50 MILES OF GOOD ROAD

Today, after swimming 3,000 yards, with little or no arms left, I jumped out of the pool and went on my longest bike training sessions this year. 50 miles. Not long by some standards but then I remember back in November I had just had knee surgery and was off the bike, and all sports, for about a month. And it's been a long road back to getting into shape, so I'm happy with my progress. Today's ride was at an easy pace, about 60 percent effort and I didn't even have to kill myself on the hills. Just turnover a hard gear/low cadence (kinda like lifting weights while riding a bike) on all the hills.

There's just something about riding your bike early in the morning. The ocean on one side and the volcanoes on the other side. Inspiring to say the least. This week my training is getting serious and I've been feeling it in my legs -- a lot. Yesterday I went for my longest, and hardest, run of the year, 8 miles with a hard hill on every mile and two of those miles were all up hill.

But today was all about enjoying the bike. Something I haven't done for a long while. The bike has become an instrument of torture and I've dreaded getting on it for months. Trying to add speed on the bike is hard work and that's what I've been trying to do this year and as a result every session has been hard and painful. Lot's of hills, lots of lactic acid build up, burning lungs and burning muscles.

So after Masters this morning, I unloaded the bike and took off on a mission to enjoy 50 miles of "good road." Hawaiian sunshine, Kona's wind, good music, a banana and lots of hydration. Just cruising. A good way to start the day.

It's good to be alive! And with that, here's my cruising song of the day.